Richmond Rangers
by Dmad88
Summary: After a devastating defeat by the Enclave, the Richmond Rangers seek support from the famous Reilly's Rangers to find they are in a worse situation than the Richmond Rangers are.
1. Chapter 1

Support for the Rangers

Fallout 3 Fan Fiction

August 4th, 2277

"When our bird went down, I thought we were goners " Said the man drinking away his sorrows at the bar in Rivet City. "That was went it all went to Hell."

* * *

March 27th, 2277

"All right, when we land, we report to the current C.O. and go from there. No screw-ups!" The man shouted over the deafening sound of twin vertibird motors. "When we land, report to the C.O. and wait for further instructions"

"You really think that the Enclave won't find us here too John?" A squadmate asked.

"God help us if they do, Cortez. And it's Sargent Smith when we're in there." Smith said. "Is that cle-"

John was cut off by an explosion that rocked the veritbird. A rocket from an unknown source hit the tail of the bird and sent it in to a wild tail spin.

"What the Hell?!" Cortez screamed.

"Everybody buckle down! Brace for impact!" The Pilot yelled. "We're going down!"

Everybody scrambled into a seat and put on the safety harness made of stainless steel around their bodies. The tail of the vertibird hit a crumbling skyscraper, ripping off the tail and most of the bird. The three rangers that were sitting along the back of the bird were immediately ejected from their seats.

"Everybody jump on three!" Smith yelled. The spinning bird came back around to the skyscraper that it had hit. "THREE!" And with that the six remaining squadmates leaped out of the flaming bird. Five of the six landed on a semi-stable floor. The sixth jumped to late and hit the pillar. He was hanging on to the floor and was slowly losing grip.

"Kendricks!" Smith cried, "Help him up!" Both Smith and Cortez rushed to Private Kendricks. Kendricks was a relatively new recruit to the rangers. He was as green as they came. Barely proficient with a pistol, he wanted to be the 'Heavy' of the group. He came in from California to Richmond, Virginia, where the Rangers were currently stationed. That was before the Enclave initiated counter-ops on the rangers for them being to much of a "thorn in their side". The rangers in Richmond were one of the largest organizations that had ever been in the Wasteland. It had rivaled the NCR, the Brotherhood of Steel, and the Enclave respectively The Enclave was the first to actually start destroying their bases, killing their troops, and slaughtering people under their protection. Three years of war had followed. The Rangers had gotten some support from the BoS, but not enough to win the war. The end of the war was marked by an orbital strike called out by the enclave against them. That was two months ago. These twelve people, the two pilots, and ten soldiers, are the last remaining troops of the Richmond Rangers.

Kendricks lost his grip seconds before Smith and Cortez dived to catch his hands. Smith watched as his body disapeared into the radioactive haze that surrounded the base off all of the buildings. The vertibird hit a leaning tower right below where it bent. The entire tower went down. Six dead in five minutes.

"Come on," Smith said, standing up "lets find a way out of this building."

"How far are we from the rendezvous point?" A female voice rang out. This voice coming from none other than Julie Kendricks, the recently departed soldier's wife.

"It looks like we're three clicks from the border of D.C. Not sure how we're actually supposed to get into it though. Looks like the entire place is collapsed." The navigator, Corporal LaCorva, said. LaCorva was born in France, or what was left of it. He came to America to escape slavers that were hunting his family tirelessly. His family landed off of the shore of Virginia, and he shortly there after joined the Rangers. His family was killed in the orbital strike.

"Let's get going, then." Said Ricky "Fixit" Martin. He was that one guy who spent all day tinkering and could fix something broken with something else that was broken. He could hack into a heavily encrypted terminal in ten seconds flat. "We'll just follow the shoreline until we hit some place called 'Rivet City'."

"All right, let's head out." Smith commanded. "And keep weapons hot. We're not out of the woods yet."


	2. Chapter 2

Five Rangers set out. Down a crumbling building and west towards Rivet City. Following the Coastline, what remains of the Pontiac River, they embarked towards the ruins of D.C. Hoping to find reinforcements, food, and a break. One monument stood above the rest. The Washington Monument, pinnacle of the american dream, lies as a shadow of its former self. Large chunks of stone had been carved from the great buiding's sides. Leaving a skeleton, much like that of the city itself.

"What's this?" Fixit said. He was once a vault dweller that had come out when things went AWOL and the overseer went insane. "I just picked up a radio broadcast. Says 'Galaxy News Radio'. Got nothin' but static right now.'

"Try again in a mile or two." Said Smith, wondering if it was just a pre-war propaganda station on loop like many had thought the Enclave Station was. "And hope that is the only one."

They began on again, five soldiers driven by desperation, with nothing but a few clips each, their own personal weapons and black combat armor, and about a week's worth of food. A foul screach came from somewhere close. Then another, and another. Soon all that was audible was a symphony of shattered vocal chords.

"Uhh... Boss?" Cortez inquired, "What the hell was that?"

"Ferals..." Smith said under his breath, "Everybody weapons hot!"

A flood of rotten flesh, decaying teeth, and bulging eyes rushed them. Smith immediatly discharged three rounds from his combat shotgun into the heads of three of the ghouls. Their heads popped with each round as the shrapnel went through their skulls at the speed of sound. Cortez was unloading blindly into the crowd with his assualt rifle. Ms. Kendricks aptly pulled out her .44 revolver and popped skulls along with everybody else. And Fixit was lobbing grenades into the oncoming rush of zombified ghouls. For fifteen minutes the onslaught continued. It seemed as thought they were pouring out of the ground.

"Go! I'll hold them off! Get to Rivet City, find help!" LaCorva Said.

"Don't be an idiot Frenchie! We're in this together!" Cortez shouted.

"Go!" LaCorva then pulled out his Father's .357 revolver and a combat knife. He rushed into the crowd of ferals. Limb after limb came flying out of the circle that was quickly forming around him.

"You all heard him! Get moving!" Smith shouted. As they ran off, he chanced a glimsp back. A ghoul jumped and grabbed onto his back. LaCorva swung him off then discharged a round into it's head. More jumped and clinched on wherever they could manage. Their eyes met, and that second turned into an eternity. LaCorva smiled as a Feral put it's hand under his chin, and pulled. The flesh around the Frenchman's neck began to twist, buckle, and tear. A second later, his head lie upon the ground, and the Ferals began a feast on his fallen body.

"Bastards." Smith whispered, a tear forming in his eye. "Keep moving! We can't be around when they finish with him!" And so they ran. They ran and ran until they couldn't anymore. They made it about a mile away before they had to stop.

"Okay... okay, I think we're good." Cortez said, trying to catch his breath. "Dammit. They got LaCorva. Poor bastard."

"All right... let's set up camp here. We each take turns for firewatch. Four hour shifts. Are we clear?" Smith commanded.

"Yes sir." the rest said, unified. The night passed with only occasional bouts of weapons fire and death. They rose and set out at about 06:00, slowly moving towards the festering hell-hole that was Washington D.C. The path that lead up to the border of the Capital Wasteland was mostly clear after that. Besides for a few more ferals or raiders, the path seemed rather untraveled. Now it was quite clear why that was.

"I think that big boat right there is Rivet City." Cortez said. "No way to know for sure, though since... Well, you know."

"Better try anyway." Smith said. The big aircraft carrier had just come into view. From a distance it just looks like a boat that has been torn in half. That is exactly what it is, but it didn't look like it was the least bit habitable. As they approached even further, however, there looked to be many armed guards strolling about on the platform of the beached behemoth, showing a definent sign of civilization. "Only a few more miles to go."

After the long walk, they had finally reached the platform rising up to the boat. Smith hit the intercom. "Please wait while the bridge extends." A voice range out. The bridge started to swing out towards where it would rest and lock in place at the end of the platform they were standing on.

"So thirsty... please help me." A dry, cracked voice called out. Kendricks looked around to find a homeless man sitting behind them. He looked sickly and on the verge of death. "Water... Please I need water..."

"Will any water do?" Kendricks asked the man.

"No... It has to be clean. Please, I beg you, help me."

"Here have this purified water."

"Really? I can just have it? I can't pay you back."

"I insist. Take it." Kendricks said with a large smile on her face.

"Thank you... thank you so much... you've saved my life." He took the water and chugged the entire thing. He then fell back, laughing and sobbing. "Thank you so much stranger." Kendricks smiled and walked back to the group of three who were standing there watching the entire scene unfold. The bridge slowed and lokced in place with a *clang*. They all walked across the bridge to meet a man wearing armor not that different from their own.

"Hold it right there." The man said, pulling out a Chinese Assault Rifle, "State your business in Rivet City."

Smith stepped forward, "We seek refuge, ammunition, and food."

"Seek somewhere else."

"Please sir, our Vertibird was shot down about ten miles east of here. We've already lost six people." Smith pleaded, "We just need to recuperate, get some food and ammo, then we'll be on our way."

"All right. But I'm watching you." He looked around, "_All_ of you."


End file.
